Reflection
by ahzheejhei
Summary: Chance Meetings—Scent: "Sakura may have been the youngest in the team, but she was the most perceptive." A drabble series of Sasuke's past, Sakura's present, and their unknown future.
1. Pink's Complementary

**Title:** Reflection**  
>Chapter: <strong>Pink's Complementary  
><strong>Author:<strong> ahzheejhei  
><strong>Fandom: <strong>_Naruto_  
><strong>Rating:<strong> K+  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Sasuke Uchiha / Sakura Haruno  
><strong>Spoiler Warning: <strong>None; I'm pretty sure I covered my booty (and yours, too!) about little/no spoilage. Pre-Massacre. Drabbleshot.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Masashi Kishimoto is the owner of _Naruto_, not me. ;^;**  
>Summary: <strong>Despite the glare in Ami's eyes, Sakura was in absolute bliss on the first day of fall term.  
><strong>Word Count: <strong>603  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Written for SasuSaku Month on LJ. Week 2 is Chance Meetings and Day 1 is Satisfaction. As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcome!

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><p>It wasn't that the first day of school was terrifying. Sure, there were the germs, the tantrums, the fights, and the really sad cliques that Sakura thought were pointless, especially when the groups were formed solely to be on opposite teams in hide-and-seek, but that wasn't what made her fear leaving her house every morning.<p>

"Oi! Pinky come back here!"

"…ACK!"

It was _Ami_.

"Come. Back. Here. Pinky!"

And unfortunately, Ino was nowhere to be found on the school grounds. That meant one of the three things have happened to her:

1) She overslept because she didn't slowly adjust her wake-up time to 6 o'clock instead of 8 o'clock.

2) She received a lecture for something she did the day before.

3) …or Ino-chan was just that slow in getting to school.

Either way, Sakura's hair (and lunch) were at stake, and she hadn't even reached the classroom yet!

"_If I'm not there and those idiots somehow beat me to walking to school with you, Sakura-chan, head straight for the classroom. They can't be that dumb to harass you there!"_That's what Ino had told her when they were strategizing on how to keep away from Ami and her friends and find some way to set their revenge plans into motion…

"I MEAN IT; COME BACK HERE!"

But now was NOT the time to plan revenge on the fly – she had to get out of the situation _now_. As fast as her legs could carry her inside the building, she could have sworn that she was…

"Ow!"

"Itai—Sasuke-kun!"

"_SASUKE-KUN! ARE YOU OKAY?_"

…home free.

Sasuke and Sakura laid there, sprawled on the floor and rubbing their respectful bruises. For Sakura, it was her nose and back. Her new kapris were a bit on the soiled side, but her shirt was definitely torn on the sleeve. As for the young Uchiha—

"Sasuke-kun! Your mouth is bleeding!" Ami cried out, whipping a tissue from her pocket. She glared reproachfully at her pink-haired prey while trying to help Sasuke stand up. "Haruno, you and your _stupid_forehead caused this!"

"B-but Ami—"

"You should apologize to him for your stupidity!"

"E-eeh? But _you _were chasing me and threatening me because Ino-chan wasn't with me!"

"Does your forehead reach over your eyes? You can SEE where you're running, can't you?"

Sakura stood up, tearfully looking at both her enemy and at her crush. "Sa—Sasuke-kun, I didn't mean to—I hope you're—I'm _so—_"

Sasuke shrugged, brushing the dirt off of his slacks. "It's 'kay, Sakura. You should probably head over to Suzume-sensei to get your shirt fixed."

"I… I should?"

He nodded, pointing at her right arm. "It looks like you were playing with kunai. I heard from Nii-san that Iruka-sensei doesn't take hoisery… horse-playing… and stuff very well."

Sakura's cheeks burned brightly while waving her small bento box in front of her. "H-Hai. Could you tell Iruka-sensei I'll be late then?"

"I'll walk you there."

"What…?"

"WHAT?"

Sasuke took her hand and tugged her along. "C'mon. If we're fast enough, we might not even have to explain what happened. It was my fault too for not looking ahead, and Nii-san wouldn't be happy if he heard what I did today for not honing my shinobi skills enough or holding up the Uchiha name."

And that is how—ten minutes later—Ami glared at Sakura from the highest seat, Ino looked at them with her mouth open like a goldfish, Sasuke remained oblivious to the girls around him, and Sakura smiled in satisfaction of having her favorite shirt fixed… and sitting next to Sasuke-kun.

* * *

><p><em>Fin<em>


	2. Caught in the Act

**Title:** Reflection**  
>Chapter: <strong>Caught in the Act  
><strong>Author:<strong> ahzheejhei  
><strong>Fandom: <strong>_Naruto_  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T, for language  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Sasuke Uchiha / Sakura Haruno  
><strong>Spoiler Warning: <strong>Takes place after the Uchiha Massacre and before the two are assigned to Team 7 with Naruto. Please enjoy!  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Masashi Kishimoto is the owner of _Naruto_, not me. ;^;**  
>Summary: <strong>He didn't mean to, and neither did she. No one—not even an innocent girl like her—could ever hope to understand his situation.  
><strong>Word Count: <strong>572  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Written for SasuSaku Month on LJ. Week 2 is Chance Meetings and Day 2 is Snoop. As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcome!

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><p>Sasuke Uchiha was a patient guy. He kindly—coldly, but kindly still—refused girls' affection for love and attention. When other less-ditzy girls asked him for advice, he them gave a couple of pointers—again, blunt, but still—and simply re-phrased his words when they couldn't get it the first couple of times.<p>

However, this week seemed to be bothering him more with the ditzy kunoichi than the intelligent ones.

_Hn, annoying._

And unfortunately (for them, not for _him_), he sent out numerous shadow clones around the school and training grounds, ensuring him that no one would bother him today. Sasuke was, after all, still human, despite the fact he had high grades and "fangirls" and (stupid) rivals, he had a life. His life revolved around two things:

1) Killing his [god-fucking cruel, twisted, manipulating, heartless asshole of a] brother.

2) Rebuilding the Uchiha clan.

And today was different from those _other _days, as he picked up the candles and incense. He effortlessly jumped back to his apartment, tree branch to tree branch, and filled up his knapsack with tomatoes, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Carrying his other supplies, he walked through the Uchiha district somberly, and upon reaching the black steel gates, he bowed.

Once…

…Twice…

…and unlocked the gate.

The cemetery was quiet this time. The overcast weather did nothing to lighten the mood, and the tombstones seem to agree with the weather. Sasuke bowed once more, before he headed for the largest tombstone along the right side of the brick wall. The letters were etched in gold, shining despite the grey weather—a sign that it remained well-kept by the hired grave keeper:

**.::.**_  
><em>

_HERE LIES TWO SHINOBI OF KONOHAGAKURE_

_Fugaku Uchiha_

_Head of Uchiha clan,_

_Konoha Police Force Captain,_

_Jōnin,_

_Loving Husband, Honest Father_

_Mikoto Uchiha_

_Matriarch of Uchiha clan,_

_Jōnin,_

_Loving Wife, Protective Mother_

_REST IN PEACE_

**.::.**_  
><em>

Sasuke set down his knapsack and un-zipped the main flap. "Hello…"

_SHING!_

"…_intruder._"

The kunai flew and grazed the girl's cheek—he knew this, given the painful cry the person behind him gave—and hit the ground on a fifty degree angle. Without turning, he asked, "What are you doing here? You're on private property, Sakura."

Said girl gasped, scratching her arms out of nervousness. "I… I was wondering if you were okay, Sasuke-kun. I noticed that you dispersed a lot of clones throughout Konoha, and I… I know that you only do that when you want to be alone."

"Hn."

He was far from angry at this point. He wasn't seven or eight years old anymore. He didn't need anyone to accompany him to the Uchiha cemetery by himself—

"—and I remember you brought me here a couple of times."

"I'm not _eight_ anymore, Sakura."

"I know that, but—"

"We aren't kids, either."

"H-Hai—but still, Sasuke-kun—"

"_I didn't ask you to be here._"

This time, the young Uchiha turned around, glaring at her for the intrusion. "You have _no fucking right_ to be here."

Her green eyes shined as she tried to blink back tears.

"Leave, Sakura. _Now._"

And as Sakura ran off and the sound of her footsteps faded away, Sasuke only hoped that he didn't have to be with her in the near future. Apologizing for being unintentionally malicious was annoying. Apologizing to a _girl_ for being unintentionally malicious was twice as irritating.

Just one more day…

"…Hello, Kaa-chan. Tou-san."

_I'm sorry_.

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><p><em>Fin<em>


	3. Where the Heart Is

**Title:** Reflection  
><strong>Chapter: <strong>Where the Heart Is  
><strong>Author:<strong> ahzheejhei  
><strong>Fandom: <strong>_Naruto  
><em>**Rating:** K+  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Sasuke Uchiha / Sakura Haruno  
><strong>Spoiler Warning: <strong>Takes place a couple months after the Massacre. If you don't know what "massacre" I'm referring to, this may or may not make you happy.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Masashi Kishimoto is the owner of _Naruto_, not me. ;^;  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sakura couldn't put her finger on it, but she could tell that something was wrong. Unfortunately, it took her a little to long to figure it out.  
><strong>Word Count: <strong>895  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Week 2 is Chance Meetings, and Day 3 is Home. I realize that I'm behind, but that's what I get for enrolling in a summer course. (Hee hee!) Enjoy. :D

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><p>On the night the infamous Uchiha Massacre occurred, Sakura somehow knew that there was something wrong.<p>

"Sakura-chan," her mother chided, pushing the plate of steamed rice and fish stew towards Sakura, "you haven't touched your dinner yet, and we're almost done. Aren't you hungry?"

_If I can't find a fish scale or a bone, then there's something wrong!_

The seven year-old shinobi-to-be nodded, taking the first bite of her stew and slowly chewing it, hoping that a scale had missed her father's sharp eye or a bone that Sakura herself had missed and had up in that very spoonful of fish and rice… but to no avail.

_Something _is_ wrong._

"Did you have a bad day at school?" her father had asked, cleaning up the rest of his dessert.

"No, Tou-chan," Sakura said, and quickly finished her meal, trying to figure out what was making her hair stand on the back of her neck.

**.**

**.**

**.**

On the following morning, when Sakura entered the school grounds, she was greeted with a heartbroken Ino-chan sitting on the front steps.

"Ne, ne, Ino-chan!" the rosette-haired girl called to her best friend, "What's going on? Why aren't you in class yet? Class starts soon!"

"School's been cancelled," Ino frowned, opening her bento box for some sliced oranges. "Haven't you heard? There was an attack on the Uchiha district! Everyone but Sasuke-kun is dead!"

Mint-green eyes widened as Sakura sat down next to Ino, dumbfounded. "J-Just Sasuke-kun? Why would someone want to threaten Sasuke-kun's family?"

"Well—"

"And the Uchihas are our police force! Sasuke-kun couldn't possibly be able to run it all by himself!"

"Calm down, Sakura-chan—"

"W-well, I mean, Sasuke-kun is really strong and smart, so—"

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Ino's nose flared as she placed her hands on her hips, "You're doing _it_ again!" The blonde girl frowned, as her best friend's face reddened. "I don't mean it like that, Sakura-chan, but when you get all hyped up and stuff," Ino had made various hand gestures at this point, "and it's hard for anyone to reign you in."

Sakura nodded silently, picking at her own bento box that held what was supposed to be today's school lunch.

"Anyway, it was his older brother who killed everyone."

"ITACHI-SAN?"

"I know, right? The tall, almost-Sasuke-kun-look-alike who came to the ceremony."

"…but doesn't he love Sasuke-kun?"

"Well, I thought so…"

And as Ino continued her "What-if's" and "It-Could-Be-Possible-That's," Sakura couldn't help but still feel that odd chill down her spine that made her feel colder than Yukigakure.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Three weeks after the attack, the Konoha shinobi and close friends of various Uchiha members attended one of the biggest funerals they had ever seen. Everyone was wearing white clothing and lighting incense in front of various tombstones, and the one that was visited the most was that of the patriarch and matriarch of the Uchiha clan.

That wasn't who she was looking for, though.

"Hokage-sama…"

Sakura turned around, listening intently to the purple-haired ANBU member converse with Hiruzen Sarutobi

"Is it still okay for us to continue with the funeral? Wouldn't Sasuke want to come say goodbye to his family?" the purple-haired ANBU asked.

Sarutobi shook his head, sighing as he folded his hands behind his back. "He's been through a lot. Just yesterday he had fallen into the lake. If the caretaker of the grounds had not seen him, Sasuke would've drowned."

"Aa."

He put on his hat, and looked towards the sky. "This may be for the best – there's no clue as to what Itachi has done to him psychologically. We need him under close surveillance."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

The only thing that Sakura could do was sit down as the same, eerie feeling washed over her.

_Something is wrong._

**.**

**.**

**.**

For a year, Sakura had barely seen Sasuke. He attended class, then disappeared as soon as Iruka-sensei dismissed his students. People talked about how he spent his days and nights sitting in bed as if his older brother had sucked out his soul, leaving a living, empty shell. Others said that he trained non-stop at the Uchiha private training grounds.

Rumors were rumors, and unfortunately, there was no one to confirm his whereabouts, as the guardian of Sasuke's apartment refused to say a word, and the Uchiha district was strictly off-bounds unless you had business there.

It wasn't until one late afternoon, when Sakura was beating the clock to reach home in time for supper, that he saw _him_ swinging on the swings by himself.

"Sasuke-kun?"

The little boy looked up at the sound of the name, and sure enough, it was him.

"Sakura. Hey."

"Whatcha doing here? How come you aren't going home yet?" she asked, rubbing her arms nervously.

He looked down, face darkening, then looked at her with a straight face. "Follow me."

A couple minutes later, the two eight year-olds reached the Uchiha graveyard. For a while, they stood in front of Mikoto and Fugaku's tombstone, silently admiring the craftsmanship and listening to the wind whistle through the breeze.

"What's a home, Sakura?" Sasuke finally asked, looking at her with blank, dark eyes.

Sakura blinked, then answered, "It's a place where you live and people love you for who you are… like your mom, dad, pets, and other people like that."

The young Uchiha looked at the ground, sniffling.

"Exactly."

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><p><em>Fin<em>


	4. The Martyr

**Title:** Reflection  
><strong>Chapter: <strong>The Martyr  
><strong>Author:<strong> ahzheejhei  
><strong>Fandom: <strong>_Naruto  
><em>**Rating:** T  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Sasuke Uchiha / Sakura Haruno  
><strong>Spoiler Warning: <strong>If the words "Sasuke" and "Sakura" and "fainting" and "defection" make no sense to you…  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Masashi Kishimoto is the owner of _Naruto_, not me. ;^;  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sasuke hadn't realized it, he had become more like his brother in more ways than one.  
><strong>Word Count: <strong>549  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Week 2 is Chance Meetings and Day 4 is Self-Sacrifice. Just so that I don't confuse anyone, the chapters are (chronologically) out-of-order. :D Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Two hours and thirty-two minutes after his run-in with Sound Four, Sasuke found himself faced with a distressed Sakura in front of Ichiraku. Her cheeks were puffy and red, her eyes were dry of tears, but she looked more worried and concerned than miserable. He was surprised, though, to see her here.<p>

She must've been working on her tracking abilities.

"I don't want to talk about it, Sakura," he said evenly as his ramen bowl appeared in front of him. "It's done."

"You look more bruised than earlier this afternoon, Sasuke-kun," she replied nervously as her jade eyes scanned the cuts on his arms.

"Training."

"Oh…"

Her vegetable ramen came, and Sakura thanked the waitress. From the corner of Sasuke's eyes, he saw that she wasn't being as nosy as usual, and instead was focusing more on her noodles than his activities. A silent date, Sasuke concluded, which means that there was something going on with her.

An hour and forty-three minutes after their meal, Sasuke and Sakura (silently—how odd, Sasuke thought) walked towards the training grounds. He knew that cutting through the third area was his shortcut back to his flat, while his female teammate only needed to take a right turn, which was the opposite of his direction, to make it back home before dark. Before the two parted ways, however, Sakura finally spoke:

"Please tell me you won't go to him, Sasuke-kun."

He should've known. The young Uchiha didn't bother to look back at her; he simply stayed still, listening to her pleading voice as he concentrated on the tree up ahead. When she was finished with her seemingly never-ending list of Why-Not's, he shook his head.

"You don't know what my brother is capable of."

"Sasuke—"

"Have you ever even met my brother, Sakura?" he turned around, giving her a cold stare, "Did you ever see him be honored in front of your family, in front of the _Hokage_, for the justice he had done before he _murdered_ everyone?"

"He didn't kill _you_, though—"

"For what, a sick and twisted trophy, right?" Sasuke snarled, clenching his fists. "If he is capable of killing his own family in one night, he can kill anyone else even faster than that."

This time, Sakura didn't even try to retort. He took this as a chance to continue—to get it off of his chest.

_To get her to stop fucking following._

"He'll kill you. Naruto. Kakashi-sensei. _Anyone_."

_You're in danger because of me._

"I have to do it. Orochimaru can make me stronger—much stronger than Kakashi-sensei's training—to stop Itachi. I'll bring back honor to the Uchiha name. I can't do it here – I won't grow fast enough."

_He needs to be stopped at all costs._

"And you can't stop me."

_My defection will be a noble effort._

"That's my promise."

_I'll keep you safe._

At this point, Sakura was crying again, wiping the tears and boogers along her sleeves. He could tell that she was against it, that she was trying to find the words to tell him not to go, to stay here and grow stronger with the rest of Team Seven, to make amends with Naruto and their sensei, to just _forget about revenge_ and focus on the present.

But he wouldn't, and walked back home to pack, ignoring the sobbing that followed him for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><em>Fin<em>


	5. Familiarity

**Title:** Reflection  
><strong>Chapter: <strong>Familiarity  
><strong>Author:<strong> ahzheejhei  
><strong>Fandom: <strong>_Naruto  
><em>**Rating:** T  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Sasuke Uchiha / Sakura Haruno  
><strong>Spoiler Warning: <strong>Between Ch. 170-190. That general area.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Masashi Kishimoto is the owner of _Naruto_, not me. ;^;  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sakura may have been the youngest in the team, but she was the most perceptive.  
><strong>Word Count: <strong>564  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Week 2 is Chance Meetings and Day 5 is Scent. Rushed, moody borderlining teenage angst, but think about it… Sasuke and Sakura are only 13. Like they'd have their feelings all figured out… :D Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Sakura wasn't like Kakashi—she had no eye transplant that made him almost impossible to beat. No love for reading softcore porn, or to be late on time, or to be sincere to the rudest people on the planet. She didn't have a father who committed suicide to leave her the burden of what is the higher priority. She had intelligence, but nowhere near to that of her sensei, who knew what to do when two teammates purposely pitted against each other with killing intentions.<p>

Sakura wasn't like Naruto, despite some similarities—she didn't have a lot of chakra. The ability to heal herself quickly. The emotional strength to endure a rough childhood of no parents, barely any friends, criticism, and constant reprimands. She didn't have the physical strength of continuing on after being told "NO YOU MAY NOT" for so many years. It was a miracle, in her opinion, that Naruto grew as much as he did now.

Sakura wasn't like Sasuke, either—she didn't come from a prestigious clan (though said clain now borderlines extinction). She had no pure ambition to become stronger to avenge her loved ones. To find peace due to a traumatic past. It wasn't possible for her to personally experience Tsukuyomi as a seven year-old child.

The one thing that set Sakura apart from her two male teammates and to her sensei, however, was her ability to _feel_. She knew it, they knew it, and perhaps the rest of the village knew it. No matter what she was doing, she was going to do it right, damn it, because it was her responsibility to anticipate their actions, to be that _one thing_ they needed. Wanted. Never really had.

"Ne ne, Sasuke-kun, I'll heal that arm – you won't be able to carry her with that brace still on you."

"Na. Ru. To. Just hold still for Kami's sake! I'm only cutting your hair… Jeez, what do you think I'm doing, trying to kill you? I leave that to the villains, thanks."

"Kaka-sensei! Kaka-sensei! Could you take a look at this? Please? I don't think I have this throwing technique down right… my arm keeps hurting."

So, when Sasuke left her to go home that afternoon, it was gut instinct for her to find the problem. She knew that he was up to something. She _knew_ he was going to leave that night. For God's sake, it was written all over his face!

And God-_fucking_-damn it all, she was going to stop him. Him leaving would break that cycle that she had created for her team. As the nurturer, as the mother, as the sister, as the annoying child.

Not being conceited, but being _protectful_.

So, that night, before the moon was out, she slipped away with a clone in her bed as she went to wait by the entrance. As the clock struck twelve, she could hear his footsteps. He was making his way here without rush, without anticipating that someone might have figured out he was leaving that night.

And when they looked at each other in the eyes, she saw what could happen, and what she wanted to happen. It was that scent of disaster, of heartbreaks, of dedication, or snared friendships, camaraderie, and of being alone.

"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

Thus began the realization of her horrible prediction.

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><p><em>Fin<em>


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